


Delicacy

by NovelistAngel23



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: (very minor) Blue Lion's Route Spoilers, Ashe's sister makes a brief appearance, Ashe/Dedue Paired Ending Spoilers, Cooking, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, she totally ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-03 19:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20458514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovelistAngel23/pseuds/NovelistAngel23
Summary: Ashe insisted Dedue visit the inn before opening day. Dedue had half a mind to refuse, but he'd never been able to deny Ashe anything. "Besides," he'd said, a blush on his face. "I have a surprise for you…"So Dedue made the journey.





	Delicacy

The inn was even more lovely than Dedue had imagined it would be. Standing in the empty foyer, he felt woefully out of place. His armor, slick with rain; his hair tangled from the long journey. He was too bedraggled and big to belong somewhere so nice.

He’d told Ashe this, of course, when he insisted Dedue visit before they opened. He’d said, _ A man from Duscur in your place of business would harm your reputation. _

_ Nonsense! _ Ashe had responded, the way he always did. _ Besides, I have a surprise for you… _

The way his face reddened with a blush was the reason Dedue agreed to come, even though he hadn’t yet admitted it to himself. He’d come up with other reasons--less improbable reasons. Ashe was a brother in arms, a war hero, someone worthy of respect--a dear friend, if he allowed himself a moment’s weakness.

When Dimitri heard of Ashe’s invitation, he insisted Dedue make the journey to Gaspard, no excuses. _ And give Ashe my regards! _

So now, Dedue stood in the foyer, despite his misgivings. On the sanded wooden floorboards, underneath a beautiful but simple chandelier, staring at the vase of violets that decorated one of the tables in the dining area further inside. He had half a mind to turn around, pretend he couldn’t make it, when he finally heard chatter upstairs, where the receptionist had gone to fetch Ashe. He glanced up, and there Ashe stood.

“Dedue!”

Ashe’s smile was contagious. A shy, generous thing. A gift given far too freely, and Dedue couldn’t help emulating it just the slightest bit. It only made Ashe smile wider, rushing down the stairs two at a time, carefully holding the railing as he went.

“Dedue, you came!” he called, and when he hit the floor, he ran full force at the wall that was Dedue’s body. He practically slammed into him, his skinny arms wrapping around his waist, and despite himself, Dedue jolted back in surprise. Ashe only laughed.

They stood that way a moment, Ashe pressing his face against Dedue’s chest, and Dedue putting his hands against his shoulder blades.

Then they parted, Ashe moving his hands to Dedue’s stomach and tilting his head far back to look up at him. “I thought you were stuck in Fhirdiad?”

Dedue shook his head. “His majesty allowed me the journey. He sends his regards.”

Ashe flushed at that, looking away with a shy smile. “Ah, then tell him I said hello as well.” Then he pulled away from Dedue, gesturing wide with one arm. “Well! What do you think? Is it okay? Would you spend the night here?”

Dedue could sense the eagerness in his voice. Ashe had always been one to put his all into his goals. It was the trait that drew Dedue to him in the first place. Everyone was determined, in some way, he supposed. He remembered fondly all of their friends from school, so long ago, but Ashe had an earnestness to him that no one else possessed.

He remembered back then, Ashe had been so determined to become a knight, he couldn’t bear the thought of failing to achieve his dream. When he’d declined Dimitri’s offer to knight him, Dedue had wondered where his earnestness went. Now he could tell, it had gone to this inn.

“I would,” Dedue said, watching the back of Ashe’s head. When Ashe whipped around to him again, his pale green eyes wide and shiny, Dedue smiled effortlessly. “It is beautiful. You’ve done well with the place.”

Ashe laughed at that, a shy laugh, and reached out to take Dedue’s hand, his tiny palm engulfed in Dedue’s carefully light grip. “Come on, I want to show you the kitchen!”

Of course Ashe wanted to show him the kitchen. When they’d first gotten to know each other, it was through cooking. Ashe was the one who reminded Dedue how much he enjoyed it, after the Tragedy of Duscur.

They zigzagged past the tables set about in the dining hall, past the bar, into a room where a row of hearths radiated warmth, a pot boiling something that smelled familiar. A girl stood over the pot, her long hair the same silver-gray as Ashe’s. She looked up at him and then up at Dedue, and her smile turned sly. “Oh! I’ll give you some privacy~” she sang cheerily and scurried past them.

“Angela!” Ashe gasped, but she waved as she left, leaving just he and Dedue in the kitchen. Ashe looked up at Dedue with a wince. “My sister. Anyway… What do you think? Isn’t it nice? A little smaller than the one at school, but…”

“It’s nice,” Dedue assured him. He looked to the pot, finally putting a name to the scent permeating the air. “You’re making food from Duscur?”

“Yeah! It’s that stew you taught me… do you remember?”

He did. Of course he did. The familiarity of the scent was more than comforting to Dedue--almost painful. He had taught some of his family recipes to Ashe, a guilty pleasure they’d shared. “Dinner?” he asked.

Ashe came up beside him, wielding a wooden spoon. “Uh, it’s more like… a test?”

He opened the lid of the pot, the scent blooming around them, herbs and spices that had become so rare since the razing of his homeland. Were he like Ashe, the type to wear his heart upon his sleeve, Dedue’s eyes might have watered. Instead, his heart stuttered in his chest. Ashe stirred the stew and then lifted a spoonful of it. “Would you like to try? I-I’ve been practicing!”

Dedue hummed and inclined his head, leaning down enough for Ashe to stand on tiptoe and press the spoon to his lips. Dedue closed his eyes and savored the flavor. It was perfect. Not quite like his mother’s, though he knew no one could match her cooking, but even so it was delicious. Spicy and warm, a hint of cinnamon that made him raise a brow in curiosity. Ashe had always been a little too cautious about his spices, but this was good. A very good addition.

He smiled at Ashe who looked at him eager for advice. He wished he could say it was perfect, that Ashe could do no wrong, but he knew Ashe well enough to know he wouldn’t accept that. He always wanted to improve, no matter how harsh the advice or difficult the challenge. The only problem was, sometimes Dedue truly couldn’t think of critique. Sometimes, he just wanted to praise him.

Nevertheless, Dedue crossed his arms and rubbed his chin in thought. “I enjoyed the cinnamon. But there is too much water. Thicken with flour and let it simmer.”

Ashe grinned and nodded. “I will! Thank you, Dedue.”

He immediately went to gather the ingredients he needed, leaving Dedue to watch over the pot--but in reality, Dedue was looking at him. The way Ashe flitted about the kitchen, like a delighted fairy, mesmerized him. He’d always been light on his feet, his lithe hands quick on a bow or a lock. He was a reliable warrior--but in a kitchen, he was more like a dancer.

Dedue was suddenly struck with an urge to dance with him.

“Ashe,” he called, causing him to turn, a bag of flour in his hands. “Would you like to learn a new recipe?”

The stars in Ashe’s eyes were unmistakable. “O-of course! I’d love to!”

Dedue closed his eyes to recall a sweet that his mother made him once. It melted in his mouth, coated it in a caramel-like warmth. He wanted to see how Ashe liked it. He wanted to see him smile as it melted.

Ashe made the necessary corrections on the stew and then they set to work. Weaving around each other, Ashe taking Dedue’s hand to show him to the right spices, Dedue carrying the heavier ingredients so Ashe wouldn’t drop them. It was nostalgic. The easy way they moved together, Ashe’s warm laughter, Dedue’s gentle guidance. The sweet smell of sugar and milk simmering.

It always made him think of his mother and sister. Ashe was nothing like them. He was smaller, for one, but also sweeter. He remembered how his mother used to pinch his ear and scold him, how his sister used to tease. He loved those memories, and he loved that they’d become mixed up with Ashe as well.

He wondered idly what Ashe’s memories of cooking were like. He’d only told him a little bit about it. His father, the restaurateur; his mother, a barmaid. They’d cooked simple meals, nothing like the complicated dishes of Duscur, but Ashe always teared up when he thought about them.

Dedue glanced at Ashe, out of the corner of his eye. He wasn’t tearing up now, but the smile on his face was different. A secret, sweet one that Dedue saw very rarely. Proud and content, relieved almost. Like a weight had melted off his shoulders. He only ever smiled it when they were cooking or occasionally gardening together. It felt like it had been far too long.

Their school days had been so woefully short. Those five years they were separated during the Great War had seemed so long. Dedue had thought of him often--he’d thought of all of his school friends often of course, but there was a peace to cooking with Ashe that he’d missed all those years in hiding, on the run.

Now they saw each other rarely, Ashe busy building his inn, Dedue serving beside the king. This smile was like a delicacy.

“You’re staring,” Ashe hummed, glancing at Dedue out of the corner of his eye. Mirth sparkled in his gaze. It took Dedue’s breath away.

“My apologies,” he whispered. He didn’t often speak quietly, but Ashe inspired his gentleness.

Ashe turned his head to look all the way up at him. “I don’t mind,” he whispered back. Then his face turned very red, and he laughed awkwardly. “Um, but we should focus on cooking! How is this turning out, Dedue?”

Dedue leaned in to look, noting how the mixture had become thick and malleable. Ashe had only improved with their days apart. “You’re doing well. Now… may I?”

Their hands brushed as Ashe handed the pan to him. He took the dessert off the heat, explaining the next steps to Ashe as he worked. Covering his hands in flour, he gently picked out a bit of the mixture and rolled it into a ball between his palms. When he offered it to Ashe, his eyes sparkled and his laugh became sweet. They rolled little balls of dessert together for a long while, Ashe waxing on about how his little brother would love them.

Dedue very nearly forgot the time until Ashe suddenly gasped, “Oh goddess!” He whipped around to Dedue, a ball of the mixture between his palms. “You must be exhausted from your journey, and here I am making you cook!”

Dedue chuckled under his breath. “I do not mind. I enjoy cooking with you. I’ll sleep afterwards.”

Ashe flushed and looked away, setting the ball down. “O-oh, of course… Well, you know, you have a free room here! Always,” he said with a reassuring smile.

Dedue smiled back, setting his own ball on the plate. Now they were done, all that was left was to let them cool. He could go to his room and sleep off the long journey, if he wanted--but he really didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to bask in this moment of peace with Ashe. He wanted to ask about the inn, or about Ashe’s memories. “Perhaps… we could eat first?”

“Ah! That’s a wonderful idea, Dedue.” Ashe clapped his hands together. “You go find a seat outside, I’ll plate us some of this stew?”

Dedue inclined his head in agreement and stepped out of the kitchen, back into the dining hall. It was dark now, only the occasional flash of lightning outside the window to illuminate the room--that and a table with a single candle lit in the center. He looked around for who might have placed it, swearing he caught a glance of a silver haired girl rushing up the stairs. Nevertheless, he decided it was a good place to sit, if only for the light.

He pulled out a chair for Ashe to take a seat before settling down, watching the rain outside the window. It seemed like it would never stop, but he didn’t mind. He was safe inside.

“Oh, I bet Angela put this here,” Ashe muttered as he came with the food, looking at the candle that flickered between them. “I’m sorry, she’s very nosy. B-but, at least we can see our plates?”

Dedue smiled and gratefully took his dish. It wasn’t just stew dumped into a bowl. He could tell Ashe had taken care in plating it, arranging the meat and vegetables and garnishing it with an herb, as if they were in a restaurant. As Ashe took his seat, he looked at Dedue intently, asking his opinion with his eyes. Dedue answered, “This is restaurant quality.”

“Ah! You really think so?” he asked, clasping his hands together in delight. “Dedue, thank you!”

Dedue nodded, taking a bite of the food and again savoring the flavor. It was even better than before. Thickening the gravy had done wonders. “When you asked me to come, you claimed you had a surprise for me,” Dedue asked as they ate.

Ashe paused, his spoon in his mouth, cheeks turning red in the candlelight. “O-oh… Dedue…” He gestured to his plate, unable to meet his gaze. “This is the surprise.”

Dedue’s brows knitted together in confusion. Ashe had improved indeed, but it wasn’t too far from what they usually did together. Perhaps the surprise was a moment of peace? He appreciated it, that was to be sure. And he appreciated seeing Ashe again after so many months of nothing but polite letters. “You have gotten much better,” he assured. “It reminds me of my mother’s.”

Ashe’s flush only brightened, and he stared hard at the table, biting his lower lip. “Thank you… But, I meant… I’m going to serve this at the inn.”

Dedue blinked at him once, twice, before the words truly registered. His eyes went wide. “You… want to serve dishes from Duscur?”

Ashe finally glanced up at him, a nervous smile on his face. “Yes, that’s the plan.”

Dedue shook his head, staring down into the bowl of food. “Ashe… you can’t.”

Ashe’s face fell, and a twinge of pain ached in Dedue’s chest. He looked so heartbroken. Before he could respond, Dedue continued, “The people of Duscur… our recipes and culture, they are reviled in all of Faerghus--surely all of Fodlan. Think of all you’ve built--”

“That’s why I built it,” Ashe interrupted, and when Dedue looked at him, he saw fire burning in his eyes. It was that determination he’d once saved for his dream of knighthood. “When his majesty offered to make me a knight, I turned him down because… because you and your people are still being persecuted, even though we proved they weren’t responsible for the Tragedy of Duscur! I want to change that.”

“Ashe…” Dedue whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. Ashe had given up his dream… for him?

“Dedue,” Ashe sighed, rising to his feet and rounding the table to stand in front of him. “Don’t look at me like that. Do you remember what you told me? That… when we cook, the memories of those we loved, the people who taught us those recipes… they live on through us.”

Ashe reached out and took both of Dedue’s hands in his, holding them tight as he could. “I want to serve food from Duscur, because I want people to see Duscur the way I do. I want them to see you the way that I do.”

Dedue swallowed hard, meeting Ashe’s gaze. “And how do you see me?”

Ashe’s face turned red, and he looked away, biting his lip even harder. “I…” He shook his head, let go of Dedue’s hands. He crossed his arms over his chest and his shoulders rose up to his ears. “Dedue, I wanted your blessing. I wanted you to teach me more. Your food is how I first fell in love with your culture. I want others to fall in love the same way I did.”

Dedue stared at Ashe. At his nervous fidgeting, his shy blush, his furrowed brow. Despite his lack of surety, he looked so determined. Would he really stop if Dedue said no? If Dedue told him not to do it?

But… how could Dedue deny him anything? He’d always thought he would walk through hell or high water only for Dimitri. He’d kill for him, be killed for him. He’d fight until his body had worn down to bone.

He’d never thought he could feel that way for someone else. For Ashe though, it was… different. It was warmer somehow. It wasn’t blind devotion. It was a kind of weakness, he supposed. That he could never say no to Ashe, that he could deny him nothing, because he simply didn’t want to.

He rose to his feet, surprising Ashe into stumbling back, but Dedue caught him. Taking both hands in his. “Ashe,” he said, “I would be honored to teach you. I would be honored for you to serve these recipes.”

Ashe’s eyes sparkled, and Dedue didn’t miss the shine of a tear dripping down his cheek. “I… Dedue, thank you. Thank you! I-I promise, I’ll make you proud!” Before Dedue could say a word, Ashe leapt up and wrapped his arms around his neck. This time, Dedue put his arms around him and hugged him back. It was very strange, he decided, to hold something so fragile in his arms. Strange and difficult, and yet he wished he never had to let go.

Ashe kicked his feet once, twice, before Dedue finally let him touch the ground again, his hands sliding to his slight hips. His face was wet with tears of joy, and Dedue smiled as he reached up to wipe one away. “I will teach you all I know. I will support you. Always.”

Ashe wiped his other eye and nodded. “One day, Dedue, I know people will love you the way that I do.” His eyes went wide. “I-I mean--”

Dedue smiled just a little and leaned down, interrupting Ashe’s words with the barest brush of their lips against each other. It was only that, nothing more. But when they pulled apart, it felt as if they’d changed in some permanent way. They watched each other intently, waiting for some reprimand, some confirmation this was a singular occurrence. Instead, they smiled and kissed once more, Ashe’s hand reaching up to cup Dedue’s scarred cheek.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey I haven't published fanfic in almost a year, but then Three Houses grabbed me by the throat and said Ashe/Dedue bitch //= But seriously, I love these two so much, they are very soft. I guess since I'm posting this, you can expect more from me XD I've got a Claude/F!Byleth and a character study on Jeralt on the backburner too so!! Heck yeah!
> 
> If you've got any questions or comments or just wanna squeal about being in rarepair hell for these two, uhhhh hit me up here cuz my tumblr is dead lololol. Also kudos and comments are always appreciated! Thank you so much for reading!


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